One of the most famous Tagalog serenades is O, Ilaw by Ruben Tagalog. The lyrics say, “O ilaw, sa gabing madilim wangis mo’y bituin sa langit.” In this song, the man compares the woman to a star in the dark night and asks her to wake up and open the window for him. Ruben Tagalog first caught the radio listeners’ attention in the 1940s when he hosted his own radio program, Harana ni Ruben Tagalog. (Wikipedia).

May mga pelikula noong araw na mayroong mga eksena kung saan ang isang lalaking nagmamahal ay nanghaharana para suyuin ang babaeng itinatangi. One of these classic films is Pakiusap (1940) starring Rudy Concepcion and Rosario Moreno where the landlord’s son disguises himself as a peasant in order to serenade a beautiful country lass. Francisco Santiago’s immortal kundiman is sung on top of a papier-mâché swan in a fluvial parade while the son plans to rescue his beloved from an unwanted marriage.

Pero sa totoo lang, may nagkuwento sa akin na mayroon pa ring mga nanghaharana hanggang ngayon. A close friend shared that her cousin was surprised when she went to her friend’s province for a vacation. Wala raw siyang kaalam-alam na iyong guwapong kapitbahay ng kanyang kaibigan ay haharanahin siya that night she arrived from Manila. Although she only stayed in the province for one week, naging memorable naman ang kanyang experience dahil first time niyang hinarana.

At meron pa. I have a friend na nanliligaw via harana using the technology of Skype and mobile phone.